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How RBAP President Sets Stellar Example for Working Fathers

Antonio “Tony” Pasia is a man who wears many hats. He’s the president of the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) and the chairman of the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines (DSAPI). He’s a member of Couples for Christ and is active in his subdivision’s community. He is also part of the Foundation for Sharing La Sallian Education in De La Salle Lipa together with other former students of the late Bro. Rafe Donato, who started this work to give bright and deserving students a chance to get a good La Sallian education. As he says, “I don’t have any one particular thing; it’s really … where I can be of help, and where they need me, I’m usually there.”

But above all his other roles, Tony is a loving father. He has three daughters whom he speaks of proudly and considers his greatest achievement in life, despite all the other recognitions he’s amassed. As a stellar example of the “CEO dad,” he’s a great role model to other working fathers out there.

In the head office of the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines in Intramuros, Tony sits at his desk and talks animatedly of how he’s been able to maintain a great relationship with his family despite playing so many roles outside of the home.

“It’s not really difficult,” he says. “I give time to my work, and [...] after work shift back to being a dad … talking about how their days went, and what do they like to eat, where do they like to go.”

Tony has mastered the art of communication both at home and in business, and because of that, he’s found the key to success in a challenge that so many other working parents have a hard time with.

He also wants to answer this need for communication for the members in the Rural Bankers Association. The RBAP has been aiding rural banks all over the country, and is currently working alongside Globe myBusiness to optimize these banks’ systems and processes.

“[We’re] committed to delivering more services via electronic solutions, so that’s why we need the Telcos in helping us deliver these products downstream,” he says. With mobile and data connectivity, it’s that much easier to communicate with the rural banks and answer their needs.

When asked about his greatest achievements in life, Tony says, “As a father, I’m blessed with a wonderful wife, and we were blessed with three daughters. The youngest is a bonus, because she has Down syndrome. And because of that condition, we were able to meet up with wonderful parents, and we have the Down Syndrome Association, which we’re part of as an advocacy for these children.”

In fact, Tony has a number of advocacies, including sharing Lasallian education to less fortunate students, and offering his help in any of the organizations he’s part of. It’s all part of the legacy he wants to leave behind for the people he works with, his supporters, and most of all, his family.

“I hope [my daughters] can remember me as a kind father,” he says. “Someone who loves them, someone who is there for them, someone who dreams with them, someone who will cry with them. Someone that will see them through ... and then hopefully I can also enjoy my grandchildren with them.”

At first glance, Tony Pasia seems to have it all: a loving family, a great legacy, and a good team backing him up in his many roles. But when he’s asked for the advice he would give to other working parents, he credits the real priority (and the secret to his success) as not his work, but his faith.

“My priority is God. Number two is my family. Work will always be there. After your days, work is done. You go back to your family. And before you go back to your sleep, you go back to your God. It’s very basic–God, family, and work,” he says, adding, “Work is […] not the number one thing for me. God and family are priority.”